GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Mel Kiper Jr. liked the Packers draft right away last April and with a full season to watch the rookies, the ESPN NFL draft analyst saw nothing to change in his mind.

In an ESPN Insider piece Insider, Kiper gave the Packers' 2013 draft class the same grade -- a B-plus -- after the season that he gave it right after the draft.

We can't give away everything Kiper wrote -- that's what Insider subscriptions are for -- but here are some snippets:

“At the time, I wrote, ‘I love what Green Bay got out of this draft, particularly at two spots -- defensive end and running back.'”

Of course, he was talking about first-round pick Datone Jones, the defensive end from UCLA, and running backs Eddie Lacy (second round) and Johnathan Franklin (fourth round).

“After one season, I still love what the Packers got at running back, as Lacy has been everything they could have hoped for and completely changes the manner in which this offense can threaten you. But we'll need to see more from Jones, who was OK but not great and isn't yet a first-team player. But the draft was crucial elsewhere.”

Kiper went on to praise fourth-round pick David Bakhtiari, who started every game at left tackle, and fifth-round pick Micah Hyde, who played as the nickel defensive back and primary punt returner.

“Name another rookie who played a whole season at left tackle. Fifth-rounder Hyde also was good in a return role. Not a bad start for this draft class, and you have to believe Jones can and will give them more.”

In all, the Packers have retained 10 of their 11 draft picks. Only seventh-round receiver Charles Johnson is gone. He was signed off the practice squad by the Cleveland Browns in October. Another seventh-round receiver, Kevin Dorsey, spent the entire season on injured reserve.

Ted has been moving around a lot lately these last few drafts to get his targeted players. I'm hoping he does more of the same this year, and I hope he lands the talent we really need. Most recently, he has traded up for Jonathan Franklin, Jerel Worthy, Casey Hayward, Terrell Manning, Morgan Burnett and Clay Matthews.

Rodgers fell in his lap after staying put, but he made the pick. Lacey fell in his lap after trading back in R2 with SF, but he made the pick. Both were exceptional choices.

Since he's been GM he has traded away 10 picks and has received 26 in return. I'm hoping he goes less shotgun in this upcoming draft, and trades up to get the best impact players he can land to make our team better at any of these positions: OLB, ILB, S, WR, TE, NT, DE.

That is 7 positions on this team that we need to fill with talent upgrades. It would be nice to fill at least one of those spots with a top veteran talent via FA or trade.

I've got a lot of hope that Datone Jones and Jerel Worthy can make a name for themselves this coming season, as well as Josh Boyd on our DL. That would be huge. Adding David Bakhtiari and Micah Hyde to the mix, both gaining valuable starting time in 2013 should pay some dividends in their development. If Datone and Josh progress, and something comes of Nate Palmer, this could very well go down as one of Ted's best drafts. We need that. We'll be able to get a good measure in a year or two. And, who knows what Tretter may do…or Barrington, or Franklin, or Dorsey?

Hell, after looking at that list, knowing of his 3 trades down in 2013, maybe I'm re-thinking my position on this… trade up or down? There is A LOT of potential from the 2013 class, much yet to be determined.

After year 1 this does look like a good draft. Unfortunately they'll all get hurt next year and everyone will think it was bad.

It looks like a very good draft considering how much we leaned on the rookie class down the stretch this year.

Kinda sad isn't it though. When we grade a draft 3 years down the road, we should remember to consider player's roles every year, not just where they are at the moment we grade them. If they had significant impacts early on or suffered significant injuries, I think they should be given a little bit of a pass when we look back.

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